Prevention of Inpatient Suicides: An Attempt to Portray an Approach

Abstract

IPS is the second most common sentinel event reported to the Joint Commission. Studies and statistics related to IPS are limited, as many cases are not appropriately reported, thereby masking the exact figures. Deliberate improperinadequate reporting and hiding of cases are mostly assumed to be for fear of lawsuits. 3 ABSTRACT Inpatient Suicide (IPS) is the second most common sentinel event reported to the Joint Commission. Psychiatric inpatient suicide rates in the USA, China, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK range from 0.1% to 0.4% for all psychiatric admissions. Population-based mortality studies in psychiatric care show a 16-fold risk for suicide among psychiatric inpatients and a 2-3-fold greater risk for outpatients compared to the risk for outpatients treated in primary care. The risk factors for suicides in inpatient setting and general population differ. Moreover, the identified risk factors for IPS have relatively low degree of association. Nevertheless, psychiatric inpatients are at a higher risk for suicide. This article discusses the spectrum Model of interventions for mental health protection proposed by Mrazek & Haggarty, B-SAFE strategy, and SAFE-T strategy. The above models portray a stepwise approach for inpatients who are "at risk" for suicide. Prevention strategies are to be specifically tailored for each individual, after carefully assessing the risk of suicide. Early diagnosis and proper treatment of psychiatric illness and modification of hospital environmental factors are the cornerstones in preventing inpatient suicides. The role of nursing and paramedical staff is also discussed.

Bir Psikiyatri Hastanesinde Yatan Hastalardaki Ölümlerin Epidemiyolojik Değerlendirilmesi

“…The epidemiological studies revealed the suicide rate in patients hospitalized in psychiatry services as 13.7 per 10000. In addition, the male-to-female ratio among psychiatric inpatients that committed suicide was reported as 2:1 (Thomas et al 2018). In a study conducted in India (Shinde et al .2014), the male-to-female ratio among psychiatric inpatients that committed suicide was 1.3 to 1.…”

Data Exploration on Overall Suicides Cases Registered Across India

“…In [10], the author finds that the temperature during India's main agricultural growing season has a strong positive effect on annual farmer suicide rates. In [11], the author suggests that Impatient suicides (IPS) needs early diagnosis and tolerable treatment of psychiatric disorders can prevent IPS to a great extent. In [12], the author identified that the environmental and psychological factors, are self-report measures helps in monitoring the behavior of a person.…”